Guard for use in painting and cleaning operations



Aug, I, 1950 J. s; LISTER 2,517,226)

GUARD FOR USE IN PAINTING AND CLEANING OPERATIONS Filed Feb. 10, 1947 Patented Aug. 1, 1950 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE GUARD FOR USE IN PAINTING AND CLEANING OPERATIONS 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in guards for use in cleaning and painting operations and the primary object of the invention is to provide a convenient and effective device for use, while applying paint or other compound to one surface, to mask an adjoining surface and protect the same against inadvertent application of paint or other compound thereto. A further object is to provide a device, as aforesaid, particularly adapted for use in corners. A still further object is to provide a device, as aforesaid, so constructed as to prevent paint or other liquid from being drawn by capillary action between the device and the surface desired to be protected thereby. Various other objects and the advantages of the invention may be ascertained from the following description and the accompanying drawings,

Where two or more surfaces meet at an angle, for example, a surface of window glass and one or more surfaces of window sash, or a wall surface and the edge surface or surfaces of door, window or like trim, it is diflicult to apply paint or other compound to one of the surfaces without inadvertently applying it to the other surface. The present invention provides a device adapted to overcome the aforesaid difliculty in any situation in which it may be ordinarily encountered.

The invention consists, broadly speaking, in a masking element for one or more surfaces to be protected, having edges in angular relation to one another adapted for engagement with one or more surfaces to be treated.

In greater detail, the invention consists in the features and combinations of features herein disclosed, together with all such modifications of detail and substitutions of equivalents therefor as are within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate that embodiment of the invention now preferred, but to the details of which the invention is not limited:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the guard of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guard of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are end elevations of the guard as viewed from the left hand and right hand ends, respectively, of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the guard.

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of the guard, on an enlarged scale as compared with preceding figures, showing modifications.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, ll designates a substantially flat body comprising arms l2 and I3 forming an L-shaped structure and I4 designates a wing at the opposite end of the arm I2 from the arm l3, lying in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the arms. The body is provided with a handle l5 of any suitable shape, preferably extending lengthwise of the arm l2 and attached at one end to the body H and at the other end to the wing l4, whereby the handle supports the wing against displacement with reference to the body. Preferably, the arm 13 and the wing M are formed integral with the arm [2 and extend equal distances therefrom.

The outer edges 16 and H of the arms l2 and I3, respectively, are formed at an angle of approximately to one another and the inner edges l8 and IQ of the arms are parallel, respec-- tively, with the edges l6 and H. The free end edge 20 of the arm I3 may be at any desired angle to the edges IT and [9 but is preferably formed at an acute angle, for example 60, to the edge IS. The upper edge 21 of the wing l4 may be in any desired relation to the plane of the body but is preferably parallel therewith, while the end edge 22 of the wing is for-med at a normal or at an acute angle to the plane of the body and meets the extremity of the arm edge H6. The remaining end edge 23 of the wing is preferably formed at an acute angle to the edge 2 I. The lower edge 24 of the wing beyond the arm 12 is preferably spaced above the plane of the lower surface of the arm, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it will not contact freshly applied paint as the device is moved.

The edges [6 to 20 of the arms are bevelled from the upper surfaces of the arms to provide, substantially, knife edges at the lower surfaces of the arms. The edges 2| to 23 of the wing are likewise bevelled from the inner surface of the wing, adjacent the arm l2, to provide knife edges at the outer surface of the wing.

The lower surfaces of the arms l2 and I3 and the outer surface of the wing I4 may be flat, unbroken surfaces but are preferably recessed from the edges inwardly, so that when the guard in applied to a surface to protect the same, contact is made only at the edges, thereby to prevent liquid being drawn between the guard and the protected surface by capillary action, as might occur if there was surface to surface contact. The recessing of the surfaces may extend from edge to edge, as shown at 25 in Fig. 6, or may be merely a groove extending inwardly from and along the edges, as shown at 26 in Fig. 7.

In using the device, the operator holds the guard by its handle and presses the arms or the arms and wing against the surface or surfaces to be masked, with one or more of the edges Vice to be used in corners where the contained.

angle is less than 90. In cases wherethree sur- I faces meet, of which two are to be protected, the arm l2 and wing 14 are held against these surfaces. The inclination of the wing edge enables a guard with no recessing of its outer surfaces, to be held at a small angle to the masked surface so that contact is obtained only at the edge l6, thereby to prevent liquid entering by capillary action between the guard and the masked surface.

The device may be formed of any suitable material such as metal or resinous plastics, by pressing or moulding or in any other suitable way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A guard for use in painting or cleaning comprising a substantially flat, oblong body; a lateral extension from one end portion of said body, lying in the plane of the body and having its opposite edges parallel and lying at angles of 90 to the long edges of the body and its end edge at an acute angle to one of its said opposite edges; a Wing at the other end of said body, lying in a plane normal to the plane of the body and to the long edges thereof and projecting laterally beyond the body in the same direction as the said extension, the upper and lower edges of said wing being parallel to the plane of the body and the end edges being inclined with respect to the plane of the body.

2. A guard for use in painting or cleaning comprising a substantially flat, oblong body; a lateral extension from one end portion of said body, lying in the plane of the body and having its/opposite edges parallel and lying at angles of to the long edges of the body; a wing at the other end of said body, rigidly connected to the body and lying in a plane normal to the plane of the body and to the long edges thereof and projecting laterally beyond the body in the same direction as said extension, the upper and lower edges of said wing being parallel to the plane of the body; and a handle rigidly connected to the wing and to the body at a point remote from the Wing and supporting the wing rigidly with respect to the body.

' JOHN SAMUEL LISTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 407,143 Woodhull July 16, 1889 456,775 Prescott July 28, 1391 894,569 Watson Nov. 1e, 1905 1,213,92 Thompson Jan. 30, 1917 1,386,796 Hall Aug. 9, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,156 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1910 

